For the Good of Many
by o0Aurie0o
Summary: When siblings Hannah and Joshua fall into the River Thames during a family trip, they emerge in a world at war. Will they be able to face the trials ahead of them? Not your average "Girl Falls Into Middle Earth" fic. NOT Mary-Sue. NOT 10th walker. Rated T for  some  graphic violence.
1. Falling Up

**Author's Note:**

Hello All, and welcome!

This is my second fanfiction, but my first LOTR fanfiction. I have long been a fan of LOTR, and only very recently have felt confident that I know enough information to write aboug Middle Earth. I freely acknowledge the fact that I am not the MOST knowledgeable about LOTR, so if I get something wrong, don't hesitate to tell me! Any and all constructive criticism would be GREATLY appreciated. :3

Thanks to DarthxRane and CrackinAndProudOfIt for beta-ing!

On that note... *grandiose gesture* Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I do not even pretend to own the Lord of the Rings, or it's associated characters. I only own my own characters, Hannah and Josh.

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><p><strong>Chapter One: Falling Up<strong>

"I can't believe we got lost while on a friggin' tour! How hard can it be to follow a tour guide?" Hannah grumbled as she dug through her voluptuous backpack, pushing past all the memos and guidebooks that filled it. Of course, her cell phone would have to be at the bottom of her bag at the most inconvenient moment. The frigid December air made her shiver, despite the many layers she wore, and the hustle and bustle ofLondonwas rather subdued due to the miserable winter weather. The snow-laden clouds overhead only served to increase Hannah's bad mood. She and her younger brother stood along a rather quiet stretch of the River Thames, next to a tourist shop that sold replicas of medieval weapons. A metal railing stood between the sidewalk and the icy river.

"Hey, don't blame me," Joshua told her. Hannah glanced up at the 14-year-old boy, who was leaning against the rail, making no attempt to find a solution to the problem. Suppressing a sigh of irritation, Hannah replied "It wasn't my fault you wouldn't leave that sword shop!" It hadn't been the first time Josh's fascination with medieval weaponry had gotten the siblings in trouble…

Josh broke Hannah's reverie by pulling out his own cell phone. Hannah paused in her digging. "I thought your battery was dead."

"It was. Last night."

Hannah frowned. "Then what are you waiting for? Call Mom and Dad."

"Hold your horses, I'm working on it!"

Hannah sniggered. "No one says 'hold your horses' anymore, Josh."

"Whatevs." The sound of buttons clicking could be heard as Josh began to dial one of their parents' cell numbers.

Hannah sighed and began to repack her backpack, cramming things into every square inch. She couldn't help but feel irritated and worried – it had only been about fifteen minutes since their London tour group had left the tourist shop, but they were in a foreign city, in a foreign country for goodness' sake! She also felt rather stupid. If they had only paid attention to the clock… Oh, Mom was going to be SO mad at them…

"Oh, crap!" Josh exclaimed. Hannah looked up at her brother, wondering what else could possibly have gone wrong. "What?" she snapped.

"I accidentally dropped my phone."

"Well, pick it up again!"

"I dropped it on the other side of the railing."

Hannah left her backpack sitting on the public bench and came over to stand beside her brother. Following his gaze, she noticed his cell phone lying near the edge of the dirty river. Between the siblings and the phone was a treacherous five foot slope, muddy from recent rains and practically vertical.

"I'm going down to get it," Josh announced, climbing over the railing.

"Wait, Josh…" Hannah hesitated, knowing her overconfident brother wouldn't listen to her. "Oh, be careful!" she warned.

"I will!" Josh assured her. Hannah didn't find it very reassuring.

Her misgivings proved correct. Josh, with a yelp of surprise, slipped and slid into the river. Hannah knew her brother was a strong swimmer – he'd be okay, if slightly muddy and wet. Still, she couldn't help but be worried. "Josh, are you okay?" she called.

Hannah's knowledge of her brother's swimming skills meant she was especially concerned when he didn't resurface immediately.

"Josh?" she called. No answer. "Josh!" she called again, a bit more frantically. When no answer came, and no part of her younger brother broke the surface, Hannah leaped over the railing, heedless of her own safety. Which was why, of course, she fell into the water too.

Immediately, she knew something was wrong. The water shouldn't be this deep, she realized. Gravity seemed to reverse – she was sinking, though she was swimming with all her strength towards what she thought was the surface. The muddy water pushed and pulled at Hannah until her sense of direction was completely lost. Seconds seemed to pass like hours. Hannah grew dizzy from lack of oxygen and the frenzied water, and black began to creep over the edges of her vision.

I'm going to drown, she thought. She sent a quick prayer heavenward.

Her lungs burned with need for air, and she choked on the water as she reflexively tried to breathe. The blackness crept slowly over her eyes like a thick woolen blanket, but all of a sudden, Hannah felt the world right itself. She finally knew which way was up. In a sudden burst of adrenaline, Hannah kicked upward, lungs straining for oxygen. Almost there… almost there…

Hannah's head broke the surface, and she began to splutter and cough up the brackish river water from her lungs. Her strength was ebbing – Hannah knew that she wouldn't be able to keep it up much longer. Her head slipped below the surface again…

Just at that moment, someone grabbed her around the waist and pulled her up out of the water.

"Hannah, stay with me, come on!" Josh's voice was like the voice of an angel in her ears.

Joshua pulled his older sister back to shore, where she fell to her hands and knees, coughing up more water. Josh patted her on the back encouragingly. Once all the water had been expelled from her lungs, Hannah flopped over onto her back where she lay gasping and shuddering as she inhaled huge lungfuls of sweet, sweet air. Gradually, the pounding of her heart lessened and her breathing slowed.

Josh sat down next to her, carefully avoiding the wet area where she had spit up water. "Okay?" he asked.

Hannah coughed weakly before croaking "I love you, Josh."

Josh giggled – giggled! – and said "I guess my ninja skills paid off, then."

"No kidding." Hannah sat up, eyes and nose streaming. She hastily wiped her face with her sleeve. "Thanks."

"You don't have to say thanks; you're my sister."

"Well, thanks anyway." A realization suddenly dawned on Hannah. "Where the heck are we?" she exclaimed.

"That's what I've been trying to figure out for the last hour."

"Wait… the last hour?"

"I came through an hour before you did."

"I fell into theThamesnot even a minute after you, though!"

"I don't know what's going on, but wherever we are, we're certainly not inLondonanymore. I mean, look at that river! TheThameshasn't been that clean for over a century, if not more! I don't think the river we came out of is the same one we fell into. And then there are the plants. Look at how tall those trees are! I don't think there's a forest like this inLondon."

"No, we're certainly not inLondon." Now that Josh had mentioned it, Hannah could see the differences between their current location and where the siblings had fallen into the river.

The river they had emerged from sparkled in the sunlight. It was wide, deep, and fast- flowing; it was so clear that you could easily see the riverbed twenty feet below the water's surface. The siblings were resting on a narrow, three-foot stretch of rocky shore. Around them lay an immeasurable forest, which seemed to stretch from horizon to horizon. The trees themselves were tall and obviously ancient. Something about them made Hannah nervous, as if they might come alive at any moment. There was a certain malevolence in the air that put her on edge as well.

"Could we possibly have been carried downstream, you think?" Hannah asked hopefully, knowing what the answer would be.

"No, I don't think so," her brother replied. Hannah sighed regretfully. She couldn't think of any other logical reason for the siblings' current predicament. However, she stubbornly held on to the hope that they were still somewhere inEngland.

The siblings rested in companionable silence for another half an hour. Finally, Hannah spotted a rising plume of smoke in the distance. "Look!" she told Josh. "Smoke. Maybe that means civilization is near."

Joshua nodded uncertainly. "It's a possibility. Looks a bit big for just one house, though. It could even be a forest fire."

"Well, we're going to need to try and find someone who can help us get back toLondon. If there's anyone there, then we should see if they can provide us with any assistance."

"I suppose," Josh said doubtfully.

Hannah continued, excited. "It looks like we might get there if we follow the river a ways. It's as good a place as any to start."

"I guess you're right," Josh sighed. "But if we're not there before nightfall, we should make camp."

"Agreed." With stiff, creaking joints, Hannah picked herself up off the ground. Beside her, Josh also got up with a groan, rolling his shoulders.

"Let's go."

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><p>The coming of the two was not unplanned for. This, among other things, Ilúvatar had kept to himself concerning the future of the world. Not even the Valar knew of their coming. He knew that without the two, many others would suffer death and pain. For the good of many, Ilúvatar had brought them from their own time to assist those of times past. He knew they would face great trials, but without them, all of Arda would fall into darkness.<p> 


	2. The Trees Have Eyes

**Author's Note:** Hello, dear readers! So sorry for the long delay, real life decided to get in the way again. I'll try and post sooner next time, but if not, you have permission to yell at me, throw rotten tomatoes, the like. ^^;

Please tell me what you think! Like it? Don't like it? I want to hear it all, but please make it constructive! Review, review, review! You know you want to...

Thanks again to CrackinAndProudOfIt and DarthxRane for beta-ing!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Lord of the Rings and am not making any profit with this story. I only own my own characters, Hannah and Josh.

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><p><strong>Chapter Two: The Trees Have Eyes<strong>

The siblings trudged through the overgrown forest, heading toward what they hoped was civilization. Creepers hung from the wizened trees, and branches crunched underfoot. The ground was covered with ferns and brambles, and the only open space was covered with fallen tree limbs and gnarly roots. Hannah wasn't sure how long the two could keep it up.

"I could go for a nice, fat, juicy steak right now," Josh commented wistfully.

"Chicken alfredo," Hannah added.

"Barbecue chicken pizza."

"Peanut butter chocolate chip cookies."

"With milk."

"Berry pie."

"Ewww, no. Chocolate satin pie."

"Meh. Hot berry pie with vanilla ice cream on top is the best."

"We should stop talking about this, it's painful for my stomach," Josh complained.

"One can wish, though."

Josh groaned, and Hannah couldn't help but sympathize. It was nearing dusk, and the siblings hadn't eaten for almost six hours. That, plus their near-drowning experiences and over four long hours of trekking through the woods, made for a pair of exhausted, disgruntled, and famished teenagers.

"Too bad you left your backpack back in London," Josh grumbled. "We could be munching on delicious granola bars right now."

"Isn't there anything you learned in Boy Scouts that would help us find some food?"

Josh shrugged. "If we stopped, I could make some traps, but there's no guarantee they would work. I'm not even sure I remember how to make them. But we could look for some berries, I guess."

Hannah glanced up at the darkening sky. "We'd better start soon, then," she commented. "What kind of berries are we looking for?"

"Anything that you know is edible. Remember some of the things we learned in Junior Rangers at the state parks all those years ago?"

"Somewhat. I know what blackberries, raspberries, salmon berries, and salal look like."

Josh nodded. "Okay, then. We should split up and look for some. Meet you back here in half an hour? Don't get lost."

Hannah agreed, and the siblings separated. They searched long and hard. Hannah found a small handful of blackberries, which they shared between the two of them, but it was nowhere near to enough. By the time their fruitless questcame to a close, Hannah and Josh's hunger had grown worse, instead of abating. In an attempt to fill their bellies, they drank from the river, praying there weren't any deadly microorganisms in the cold, sweet water. They then continued walking until they found a tiny clearing that would serve as a makeshift camp.

Night was now in full swing. Hannah could see small pinpricks of light peeping through openings in the foliage. However, the trees were so tall and grew so close together that the stars and moon provided no illumination on the forest floor.

"We should try and start a fire," Josh said.

"In the dark? That sounds like too much work for what it's worth."

"It's the middle of winter, Hannah!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. It's just, we don't want any injuries, and if we go traipsing around in the dark looking for firewood, someone is bound to trip over a tree root or something. Bad idea."

Josh was already moving away by the time Hannah finished talking. "Josh! Come back!" He paid her no mind, however, and with an irritated sigh, she went after him. She did so for nearly ten minutes, following the noises he made as he broke through the underbrush. Then there came a point when she could not hear him anymore.

"Josh?" Hannah called, hoping for a response. She listened intently, but the only noises she could make out were the rustling of the trees. Suddenly, the darkness seemed to press closer on all sides. Slightly panicked, she called out again. No answer.

Hannah began to run in the direction of where she had last heard Josh. Every once in a while, she would stop and hope to hear any sound that might give away her brother's location. With fear turning into a full-out panic attack, Hannah lost all sense of direction. The cramped quarters of the overgrown forest made it increasingly hard to maneuver, and Hannah repeatedly ran into trees that seemed to leap out of nowhere.

Hannah stopped running once more and listened. Just seconds later, a twig snapped loudly. She whirled around, heart pounding.

Nothing. Hannah took in the scene before her, eyes wide and strained for any sign of movement. She was so busy looking at ground level that for a full minute, she did not notice the proximity of the trees.

Then she looked up. The darkness of night only served to make the forest seem more malevolent. The shadows seemed to move, as well as the trees themselves. In the darkness, it seemed as if the tall firs and conifers were looming over her, ready to crush her or grab her ankles and drag her underground. Suddenly, Hannah felt very small, and she turned and fled.

Just as she had predicted earlier, she tripped and fell to her hands and knees. She scraped her palms on a particularly ill-placed root, but that was the extent of her injuries. As she picked herself up off the ground, something bumped into her. Hannah shrieked in surprise.

"Oof!" It was Josh.

It took a moment for Hannah to gather her wits. "Thank God! Don't you ever go running off without me again!" she snapped, but relief colored her tone. She was still shaken from her flight through the woods, but she felt better knowing her little brother was safe and sound. Hannah took long, deep breaths to steady her pounding heart; she didn't want her brother to see how scared she had been.

Josh didn't answer her, and instead picked up the branches that he had dropped upon colliding with his sister. The siblings slowly made their way back to the miniature clearing that they had occupied earlier. Thankfully, Josh knew what direction in which to walk; Hannah was completely clueless. Once there, Josh began to rub the wood together as fast as he could. Thankfully, the wood was dry enough, and Hannah soon smelled smoke.

However, as soon as the smoke's odor became apparent, the trees began to move violently. Branches clacked together, leaves rustled angrily against one another, and there seemed to be deep, infuriated howling voices in the distance. Suddenly, Hannah heard a cracking sound overhead. A horrific realization came to her mind.

"JOSH, MOVE!" The siblings darted away from their attempted fire just in time. A huge branch fell from above. It would have killed the both of them had they not moved.

"Okay, that's it!" Hannah shrieked. "No more fire!"

Josh agreed, shaken. "Let's get out of here."

The two ran from the clearing hand in hand. As they fled through the woods, they continually tripped over roots that seemed to grab at their ankles, and caught their feet in creepers that swung down from above. Branches fell around them. Hannah's face and shoulder got nicked by one, leaving a welt that she knew would swell and leave a magnificent red mark the next day. Joshua wasn't doing much better.

Nearly a quarter of an hour later, the trees seemed to quiet down. The unforgiving rustling sounds lessened, and the voices dwindled, though it seemed the trees could start up again at any minute. Tree limbs no longer fell on or around them. Finally, Hannah and Josh could flee no more. Exhausted from the day's adventures and their recent escapade, they fell down beside one another on the soft carpet of pine needles and moss lining the forest floor.

Miraculously, they had found an open space where they could huddle together for warmth. Hannah's long blond hair still hung damp around her neck, and a chill crept up her spine. Both Joshua and Hannah's clothing was still damp as well, offering no protection from the cold air.

It was going to be a long night.

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><p>All through the night, the rustling of unfamiliar forest sounds disturbed Hannah's sleep. There was no wind, yet the branches of the trees continually cracked against each other. Besides this, the fell voices in the distance, though diminished, continued. Hannah wondered if the malevolence she felt from the trees was simply a figment of her imagination, then decided she'd rather not know. This place was crazy enough.<p>

Joshua only stirred twice, a fact for which Hannah was extremely grateful. Her poor 14-year-old brother was handling their situation remarkably well for his age. Hannah knew she herself felt like screaming, crying, et cetera, and she was three years older than him. She could only imagine how her brother felt. Joshua deserved a nice, long rest.

Hannah absentmindedly stroked her brother's curly blond hair out of his face. When he was asleep, he seemed so young. Hannah sighed. More than anything, she wished that they were back in their hotel room, snug and warm. Safe.

Their parents would be mad with worry by now. Hannah could just imagine them searching frantically along the stretch of road the siblings had vacated hours before. Their worry would turn to fear once they found Hannah's backpack sitting on that park bench, and Josh's cell phone lying in the mud by the river. Their parents would think that the siblings had been kidnapped… or worse.

What if this was worse? Hannah shuddered. As if to accentuate this thought, a deep booming voice rose above the others. Hannah shivered again. Feeling vulnerable and alone, she began to cry, her tears running warm down the sides of her cheeks into her hair.

Gradually, her tears slowed. Bereft of energy, she closed her eyes against the unforgiving night. Sleep finally overcame her.


	3. Fish

**A/N: Why hello, long time no see! Many apologies for the lateness of this update - I meant to get this up sooner, but school and camp claimed me for an unfortunate amount of time. **

**This chapter is a little fluffy, but hang on there... The next chapter is when the action will really start.**

**Thanks to DarthxRane and CrackinAndProudOfIt for beta-ing! You are both wonderful people. :)**

**Disclaimer: No matter how much I wish to, I do not own Lord of the Rings. I am not making any profit of any kind with this story. I only own my own characters, Hannah and Josh, and my story's plotline.**

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><p><em>She was falling, falling through utter blackness and silence. The darkness was so complete that the sensation of falling was only given away by the air rushing past her, which caused her clothing to billow like a sail and her hair to whip upward in a vertical sheet.<em>

_Suddenly, the blackness was replaced with blinding golden light, as if someone had just flipped the lightswitch. In contrast to the silence of the darkness, the light was accompanied by roaring sound. Glorious, alien strains of music danced and wove together at a volume so loud, so magnificent, that it was painful to listen to. She was sure her eardrums would rupture at any moment. Such music was not made for mortal ears._

_The wind screamed as she continued to fall. The overwhelming light was thick, almost fog-like. Suddenly, Hannah found she was vertical and no longer falling; she was standing, yet she had strangely felt no impact as she touched down on whatever it was she had landed on._

_The golden vapor shook apart to reveal more clearly the growing light. A figure of impressive stature could be seen beyond the sallow mist that surrounded her. Whoever it was had a slender, human figure, and he or she shone like the sun, making it impossible to distinguish any facial features. For the very same reason, its gender was indeterminate. The sun-like being stood close to sixty feet high. It was obvious that the being was the source of the light, as he or she shone with a greater radiance than everything else. _

_The figure slowly approached Hannah. The bursts of light flared brighter and brighter, and Hannah's eyes watered from the overwhelming brilliance. The sun-like being leaned down and reached out a hand to her, a hand that was as long as she was tall._

"Welcome to Arda, Hannah of the Secondborn. Your task in this world is great, and you will encounter terrible trials as you attempt its accomplishment, yet you must find the strength to persevere. Know that you are not alone. Go with My blessing."

_He (the figure's gender was now apparent from his deep voice) gestured off to the side, then glided back to the throne. Hannah looked in the direction he had pointed. There, the mist dissipated just enough to create a window-like opening in her surroundings; beyond, a planet rested amid a myriad of stars.__The planet was not Earth, but the greenness of its land and the blueness of its water gave it much similarity to the world she knew._

_As she looked, the ground beneath her gave way and she began to fall again, yet this time among the fires of thousands upon thousands of stars. Above her, the golden place dissipated until it was gone, as fog would on a sunny day. As she fell closer and closer to the planet, she could make out a few last strains of that otherworldly music. This time, however, words were distinguishable._

From home beyond to troubled shore,

They heralded the coming war.

A part in which they were to play,

To bring about a peaceful day

Not ruled by lord of darkest night,

But filled with hope, and joy, and light.

_She fell faster and faster toward the planet, through space, then ozone, then blue sky and clouds, then the ever-reaching limbs of an ancient forest…_

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><p>Hannah woke with a start, her stomach lurching as the sensation of falling abruptly stopped. It felt strange to feel solid ground beneath her. Hannah shivered in the coolness of early morning; her brother was no longer beside her to provide any source of warmth, and the sun's rays did not reach the forest floor.<p>

The 17-year-old girl's thoughts flew back to her dream. It had been so vivid, and unlike most dreams, did not fade from memory. She could still remember that unearthly music, and the figure of light sitting upon his throne. The dream was all too unreal. However, Hannah couldn't shake the feeling that it had some sort of prophetic meaning to it. A great task? Terrible trials? What in the world did it all mean?

"Good morning, sunshine," a familiar voice sounded from across the clearing. "Someone was sleepy, I see."

Hannah yawned in response, then stood and stretched like a cat does after a long nap**. **"Hi, Josh," she greeted him warmly, a mite relieved to have something other than her dream to focus on. She looked closer at her brother and noticed that he seemed to be carrying something. A flash of silver caught her eye. "What's that?" she asked, pointing.

Josh grinned, eyes sparkling. "I was going to surprise you before you woke up, but you're awake now, so I guess I'll tell you." He held out the object. It appeared to measure two skinny feet long, and was adorned with silver scales.

"How on EARTH did you find THAT?" Hannah exclaimed gleefully. A fish: they would have a meal! Her stomach rumbled and her mouth watered in anticipation.

"Caught it. With my bare hands."

Hannah gaped at her brother, whose grin widened.

"Come on. Say it," Josh prompted.

"You are a ninja," Hannah replied with a smile. "But… how are we going to eat it?"

"Well, I guess we could eat it raw."

"Ugh, no! That's disgusting."

Joshua laughed. "I knew you would say that. Your face reminds me of Samwise Gamgee's from that scene in The Two Towers when Smeagol starts eating a dead rabbit in front of Frodo."

Hannah couldn't help but giggle in response. "Wouldn't it be ironic if we were actually in Middle-earth?"

The siblings eventually decided to save the fish until they could find an open area to start a campfire. They didn't want any surprises like they had received the night before; falling branches and attacking trees were a little too much for the both of them. They now knew the danger of creating even the smallest fire in these woods. Josh carefully carried the fish by its tail.

Within half an hour, Josh was bored.

"I'm bored."

"Well, do something about it."

"You do something about it. Gosh," he countered playfully.

"Sing for me, then," Hannah told him, a hint of a smile adorning her lips.

"This is the annoying song, annoying song, annoying song. This is the annoying song, and this is how it goes. This is the annoying…""AGH! STOP!"

"You told me to sing to you."

"Not THAT song."

They fell into a natural rhythm of playful bantering, with a practiced air of having done so many times before. It was something that the siblings had always done, but this time it was much more enjoyable; it reminded both of them of home. It helped pass the time, and provided them each with a small bit of comfort.

Before long, it was midday. The trees seemed to be thinning out (as impossible as that seemed in this forest). It wasn't too long before Hannah and Josh emerged from the trees into an open plain of short green grass. The siblings shared a delighted smile, then hurried out from under the shadow of the forest. The sun was shining, and even in the winter air it provided a certain warmth that had been lacking in the forest.

Joshua set to gutting the fish with the small pocket knife he insisted on carrying with him everywhere he went. It was a miracle that the useful tool hadn't fallen out of his pocket during their time in the river. Hannah decided to go back to the forest and gather some fallen wood.

The difference between the sunlit plains and the oppressive forest was obvious. Inside the forest, Hannah felt as if she was being watched. She quickly gathered an armful of dry wood from the forest floor, then hurried back to her brother. Outside the forest, the air was less heavy, and the oppressive feeling of watchfulness disappeared.

Josh set to work rubbing the wood together. It took him many tries, and each time left him panting from the exertion. Hannah took a few turns as well. After half an hour of this, they finally got a fire started. Josh stuck a few scraps of fish meat on a skinny stick, handed it to Hannah, then did the same for himself.

Hannah sat cross-legged on the ground next to her brother, feeling oddly satisfied with their tiny catch. Josh turned his head toward her, then smiled. Maybe they were both just happy to be out from under the trees, but their situation no longer seemed so horrible. Hannah felt like nothing could harm her; her dream from the previous night was temporarily forgotten.

"What do you say we stay here until tomorrow?" Hannah suggested.

"Why?"

"Well, we spent so much time trying to make that fire that I'd hate to put it out to go make another one elsewhere. There might not even be a chance for us to get another started. Besides, the sun will go down in a few hours. It'd be nice not to be cold tonight."

Josh readily agreed, and the two settled into their camp. Hannah spread out her fluffy, purple winter jacketon the ground (it was still wet from her unexpected swim the previous day) and set her shoes next to the fire to dry. Josh did the same with his own red and black jacket and shoes. Hannah ran her fingers through her hair, trying to get all the snarls out, then swept it over one shoulder and braided it. They both then huddled close to the fire.

"I wonder where Mom and Dad are right now," Josh mused.

"I bet they're worried out of their minds."

"Do you think we'll ever get back?"

"I hope so, Josh. I really hope so."

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><p><strong>AN: Please review! Your constructive criticism and encouragement is what keeps me going. Thanks to Glory Bee and Foxhound47 for reviewing!**


	4. So It Begins

**A/N WOW. I fail. Over a year since an update? My only excuse is my schoolwork and the transition to college. Hopefully, now that I'm (relatively) settled I'll be better about updating!** **I do not plan on abandoning this story. **

**Thanks to Ryan Agram, DarthxRane, Xander, and Jeremy for beta-ing!**

**Disclaimer: See Chapters 1-3**

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><p>Beady black eyes stared out of a worn face, gazing at the landscape beyond the walls of his fortress. Long, wizened fingers tapped impatiently on the obsidian stone balcony railing. The other hand clutched a staff, which seemed nearly as formidable as the black tower wherein he resided.<p>

Behind him, metallic clicks could be heard as an armor-clad orc entered the room. Saruman sighed, then left his balcony, his multi-hued cloak and robes sweeping along behind him.

An Uruk'hai soldier stood before Saruman, clad in leather and armor and smelling as if he had just bathed in a bog. Saruman wrinkled his nose in disdain; he hated dealing directly with the foul creatures, no matter how useful they were.

Saruman sat on a large stone chair, leaning back in a disinterested, leisurely sort of way. "There is a young man and woman on the edges of Fangorn Forest. You will find them and bring them to me, alive. They are not for killing or eating. Do you understand?"

"Yes, master," the Uruk grunted in response.

"Begone, then. You have work to do."

"Yes master."

The Uruk left, the sounds of his heavy boots echoing off of the stone walls of the fortress and fading away into the distance. Saruman picked up a goblet half full with wine that had been left over from his morning meal. The wizard sipped it absently. When his eyes-and-ears had reported the two humans' movement through Fangorn, Saruman at first paid it no mind. He had been far too busy preparing for his assault on the people of Rohan. However, as the reports grew stranger, Saruman's interest in them grew. Apparently, they had emerged from the Entwash, as if birthed by the river. There was a young man and a woman. They wore clothing made of strangely dyed fabric, and they spoke in an unfamiliar tongue. The woman wore men's clothing; long, tight-fitting breeches, of all things! Furthermore, her hair was shorter than that of most women of Arda. The young man looked soft, unscarred, unlike the warrior he would have been at that age had he been a native of Middle Earth.

Saruman had every intention of discovering their true origin. Were the Valar interfering with the course of events plotted out since the beginning of the world? If so, Saruman knew he had to stop it. After all, these two could have been sent to bring him down. If so, he needed to destroy them. He was nearly ready to launch his assault on Rohan; nothing could be allowed to get in his way. He would capture the two humans, draw out the information they held in whatever way he could, then kill them.

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><p>The campfire kept the siblings warm throughout most of the night, but towards morning died down to embers, leaving Hannah and Josh vulnerable to winter's biting cold. Once again, the two found themselves huddling together in an attempt to warm themselves though the ground beneath them seemed to draw away much of their combined body heat. The wind gusted over and around them, cutting through their clothes and chilling the siblings. Finally, Hannah couldn't take it anymore; she was simply too miserable to keep lying there.<p>

Hannah sat up slowly so as not to wake her brother. However, he seemed to notice the sudden absence of heat beside him and looked up at her blearily.

"Wattaya' doin'?" he mumbled.

"I'm getting up now. Go back to sleep. Here, you can have my jacket." She shrugged off her purple winter coat and spread it over her brother's prone form.

"Than's," he mumbled back, then closed his eyes again. The coat seemed to help because before long, he was snoring softly.

Hannah shivered. Sometime during the night, the siblings had managed to grab their coats (now blessedly dry) and drape them over themselves as best they could. Now, clad only in a long sleeved, v-necked sweater, skinny jeans, and practical black boots, Hannah acutely felt the cold. Her normally light-toned skin was even paler than usual, and her nose was running. The 17-year-old's lips were beginning to feel chapped due to the dry air. She wouldn't be surprised if they cracked and bled soon. She folded her arms close to her body and stood, hopping from one foot to the other as she tried to get her blood circulating again.

Hannah stared forlornly at the remains of their fire. She wished she or her brother had had the presence of mind to keep it going, but they had been too sleepy to get up. It was like at home, Hannah thought with a wry smile. Whenever her feet were cold in bed, she'd be unable to sleep soundly, but she'd be too sleepy to get up and put on a pair of socks. _Old habits die hard_. The thought instantly made her homesick.

A single, hot tear slid down her cheek. Hannah hastily wiped it away, willing herself not to cry. She struggled to suppress the sobs that threatened to break out of her, if only to protect her younger brother. If he woke and saw she was losing hope, what would stop him from becoming hopeless as well? Her efforts did no good, and soon more tears followed the first. Hannah wept as silently as she could, her breath coming in ragged, but toneless breaths. How would they possibly survive? They had no food – already their shared fish the night before seemed a long time ago – and they didn't know where they were. They were cold, and far from home. The were two lost American teenagers in a country they were unfamiliar with.

Hannah wasn't so sure she liked England anymore.

Not for the first time, Hannah wondered at the dream she'd had that night in the forest. Dream seemed to be the wrong word; it had been too real to be a dream. 'Vision' was more accurate. The sensation of falling, the blinding light…

_Get a grip on yourself!_ Hannah mentally scolded herself. It couldn't possibly be real.

Could it?

Hannah sighed and drew her hand over her exhausted face, unconsciously brushing back her bangs in a gesture she only used when highly stressed. This was pointless. She was arguing with herself – the sign of a crazy person. Her dream couldn't have been real, because it simply made no sense. What the heck was Arda? Why had she been called "of the Secondborn"? She did have to admit, the figure had been right in one thing… she and her brother _were_ facing "terrible trials." Being so far from civilization so suddenly threw them for the loop. They were unused to sleeping out in the open, or going days without a decent meal…

Hannah lifted her eyes from the ground and looked toward the east, where the sun was rising over dark, rain-laden clouds. To the northwest, the smoke continued to rise. Hannah could only hope that this was an indication of civilization. Either way, there were miles of grassy, hilly land in between them and the source of the smoke. It was going to take more than a few days to reach their destination, if they could make it that far.

Even as she entertained this depressing thought, her eye caught movement coming from the direction of the smoke. Were those people? Hope rose unbidden within her. As they drew closer, Hannah could make out ten burly silhouettes against the color of the mountain behind them.

Hannah squatted down beside her brother, excitedly shaking him by the shoulder.

He whined and slapped her hand away. "G'awy, I'm sleeping." Hannah growled in frustration.

"Josh, wake up! I think there are people coming who can help us!" Josh's sleepiness fled in an instant, and he immediately threw the coats aside and scrambled to his feet, not bothering to straighten his navy blue hooded sweatshirt.

"HEY! OVER HERE! HELP US! HELP!" Hannah yelled. Next to her, Josh took up the call. "HEY! HEY YOU! OVER HERE!"

The shapes visibly reacted to the pair's calls. The group of men (Hannah had never seen women that big or muscular) hurried forward, angling toward the two siblings. The siblings jumped up and down waving their arms, just to make sure they had truly seen the pair. These were the first friendly faces they had seen in three days. Perhaps they could help them get to a payphone or a police station.

As they drew closer, Hannah started to notice certain aspects of the group's appearance that seemed strange. All of them were wearing something shiny over dark rags, and they seemed to be growling or barking at one another... or perhaps at the siblings. She frowned and her calls died away. When the group was about two hundred feet away, she could tell that they were armed with long knives. They were running, and though these hulking shapes appeared too bulky to be speedy, they were fast approaching.

And in the next moment, Hannah took in their faces. They were monstrous, somehow inhuman. All of them were snarling, but whooping with evil glee.

"Josh, I don't think…" she murmured, unconsciously clutching his arm in fear. Her brain snapped into focus, and she knew then that they had to get away. "Josh, RUN!" she shrieked in sudden terror. She curled her fingers in the extra fabric of his sleeve and yanked him beside her, but he needed no encouragement. The two sprinted away, trying to put as much distance between them and the monsters.

Hannah quickly gained speed, adrenaline coursing through her body. However, her in-athletic body soon reminded her why she was not a cross country runner. She had never run so fast in her life. Her breath came in ragged gasps, her heart pounded like it was going to explode out of her chest, and her side ached with cramps. She risked a glance behind her. The sight that met her eyes filled her with horror. The group was almost upon them.

Josh was already far ahead of her, but he kept looking back at her anxiously. "HURRY!" she screamed at him, with as much air as she could force out of her already straining lungs. "GET OUT OF HERE!" Her distraction, however, was literally her downfall. Because she was not watching where she was placing her feet, her toes caught the edge of a dip in the ground and she thudded to her hands and knees.

"HANNAH!" Josh called out, panicked.

Hannah clumsily scrambled to her feet and continued running. "KEEP GOING! DON'T WAIT FOR ME, RUN!" She could hear their snarls even clearer now, and the pounding of their feet on the grassy ground. Once again, she tripped and fell, this time rolling her ankle in the process.

"COME ON HANNAH!" Josh yelled. She looked up. He was running back toward her. Her stricken expression halted him in his tracks. Hannah clumsily stumbled to her feet, wincing at her injury. "GO ON!" she screamed raggedly. She ran forward as best as she could, severely slowed by her ankle. He indecisively whipped his head between her and the open field ahead of them. Hannah's fear increased exponentially as he turned back for her.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

"I'M NOT LEAVING YOU BEHIND!"

He slowed as he approached her and they ran in step with one another. Josh kept giving her worried looks, but Hannah tried to ignore it. They needed to focus on getting away. The pair sprinted across the field, adrenaline pounding through their veins.

It was too late. Hannah heard an ominously victorious growl behind her. Something careened into her back, stunning her as she was knocked to the ground, all the air leaving her lungs in one instant with the force of the impact. One of the creatures had tackled her and was now lying on her back, effectively pinning her down. One of her arms was pinned uncomfortably underneath her torso, the other lying on the ground next to her face. He unceremoniously placed his enormous hand on the side of her head, palm covering her ear and fingers spread out on her cheek and brow. He pushed her face into the dirt, and grabbed her other wrist (the one not pinned by his heavy body) which he held against the ground. From her helpless position, she could only look on in horror as her brother was also taken down. Above her, the creatures crowed in victory, barking excitedly in an ugly language she could not recognize.

The fear took over. Hannah struggled, even though she knew it was hopeless. She was barely able to move her head, let alone her torso with the weight of the creature above her. All she succeeded in doing was to kick the monster that held her. It did little injury to the behemoth, and the others laughed at her feeble attempt. Next to her, pinned in a similar manner, her brother looked on in terror.

The creature above her snarled down at her, speaking in a language that she was obviously supposed to recognize, though it was none she had ever heard. The threat in his tone was clear, but instead of making her stop, this only made her more desperate. She thrashed wilder, as an animal caught in a trap. A deeper growl sounded, and something hit her in the back of the head. Everything went black.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Dun dun DUUUNNNN! Everyone loves cliffhangers, right? **

** Heatblizzard: Since I could not respond to your review via PM, I decided to reply here. Thank you for your insight - I do appreciate the warning that going the other direction might make it not fun to read. **

**I've never heard of that children's book, but it sounds delightful! I'll have to see if I can find it at the library. As for not getting a lot of reviews, I understand now; with another year's worth of experience in the fanfiction world, I've started to see that myself as well. **

**I will also go back and edit the section with Josh and the campfire - oops! :) Thank you very much for your response!**


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